We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katrina Chavez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katrina, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

There was a moment a couple years ago where I realized I had reached a ceiling in my career. I was working in aesthetics, educating, training, leading, and on paper it looked great. But something in me kept whispering that I was meant to create something larger. A space where people could truly be developed, not just taught. A place rooted in mentorship, confidence, and real-world practice.

The idea of starting my own academy had been sitting in the back of my mind for years. I thought about it constantly, but I always had a reason why “now wasn’t the right time.” I didn’t have the money. I didn’t have the building. I didn’t have the approval. I didn’t have every detail perfectly mapped out. So I stayed where I was, even though my heart was already somewhere else.

The turning point was honestly really quiet. It wasn’t dramatic. It was just one of those moments where your spirit finally says, either you’re going to bet on yourself or you’re going to keep betraying yourself. And the cost of staying small felt heavier than the fear of the unknown.

So I took the risk.

I left my stable position. I started the long, confusing process of applying for state approval. I invested money I truly didn’t feel comfortable spending. I bought equipment before the loan was finalized. I renovated a building that was basically a blank box and tried to turn it into a school. I had days where I cried in my car and days where I celebrated tiny wins that no one else even saw.

It wasn’t glamorous. It stretched me. It tested every piece of belief I had in myself.

But slowly, things started coming together. The approval letters came. The equipment arrived. The space transformed. The brand came alive. And one day I walked into my school — my school — and felt the exact moment where the dream in my head and the reality in front of me finally matched.

Taking the risk didn’t just create a business. It created a version of me I had been trying to grow into for years.

I learned that courage isn’t loud. It’s choosing to move when your voice is shaking. It’s facing the unknown and saying, I deserve to try.

And the best part? Now I get to teach other people how to do the same. How to step into the careers they want, the confidence they want, the lives they want.

The risk changed my entire life, but more importantly, it changed me.

Katrina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been in the aesthetics industry for over two decades, and my path has always centered around helping people feel confident in their own skin. I started in medical spas and plastic surgery practices, and over the years I naturally found myself stepping into leadership and education roles. I loved the science, I loved the hands-on work, but more than anything, I loved mentoring newer estheticians. I saw how much potential they had, but also how overwhelmed and under-supported so many of them felt once they graduated.

That’s what planted the seed for my academy.

I wanted to create a space where education didn’t stop at technique. I wanted students to feel guided, encouraged, supported, and prepared, not just to perform treatments, but to build careers. So I founded Katica Advanced Aesthetics Academy, which focuses on advanced certifications, hands-on skill-building, and mentorship. We offer training in laser, microneedling, chemical peels, manual resurfacing, dermaplane, and more, all in a learning environment that’s intimate, personal, and rooted in real-world experience.

What I’ve learned is that most estheticians don’t lack passion, they lack direction. They need someone to help them bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be. That’s the space Katica fills. We train students in the advanced modalities that actually expand income potential and career opportunities. And we do it in small classes so everyone gets 1:1 coaching, hands-on practice, and ongoing support after they graduate.

What sets us apart is our approach: we’re not just a school. We’re mentorship. We’re community. We’re a place where people are seen, guided, and believed in. Students don’t just gain certifications, they gain clarity, confidence, and a career path they feel excited about.

I am most proud of the culture we’ve created. Every student who walks through our doors is met with warmth, encouragement, and high standards. We cheer for them. We challenge them. We help them grow not only as professionals, but as people stepping into their next level.

What I want people to know about my brand is that it’s heart-led. It’s built on integrity, excellence, and the belief that everyone is capable of achieving something meaningful. We are raising the standard in aesthetics, not just technically, but energetically. We’re building leaders, not just practitioners.

If you’re someone looking to grow in this industry, to expand your skill set, to step into your confidence and find your voice—this is a space where you’ll be supported while you do it. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. That’s why Katica exists.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A moment that really tested my resilience was during the buildout of my academy. I was working through the state approval process, renovating the space, investing in equipment, and securing my SBA loan all at the same time. And then, right in the middle of everything, the federal government shut down. My loan was delayed with no clear timeline.

I had already signed the lease. I had contractors lined up. Money was going out faster than it was coming in. I was fully committed, but suddenly the path forward felt very uncertain.

What people don’t see is that this wasn’t just a logistical challenge, it was a mental one. I had never built a business before. I didn’t have a roadmap. There were so many moments where my mind wanted to spiral into what if this doesn’t work? what if I’m in over my head?

And this is where the resilience really came in.

I had to constantly, sometimes moment to moment—bring my thinking back to trust. I had to remind myself to stay in the frequency of I already have what I need. I can handle this. This is already mine. It became a practice. Almost like mental reps. I was actively rewiring old patterns of fear and scarcity.

I didn’t let myself get too far into the future. I stayed with whatever was right in front of me:
the next email
the next form
the next phone call
the next decision.

And I kept showing up, even when I didn’t have confirmation or proof yet.

What helped me was remembering that there was a real need for what I was building. I knew I had the experience to teach. I knew I could create something that genuinely elevated people’s careers and confidence. That belief — and the discipline of choosing trust over fear again and again, is what carried me through.

Eventually the loan came through, the space came together, the approvals were finalized, and the school opened. But what I gained was more than a business. I gained the ability to hold myself steady in uncertainty. The ability to trust my vision before it became visible.

Resilience, to me, isn’t never doubting, it’s choosing to return to trust, over and over, until the external reality catches up.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A big lesson I had to unlearn was the idea that I needed to have everything figured out before I could begin. I grew up with the mindset that before you take a leap, you should already have the plan, the certainty, and the guarantee of success. And that belief kept me “almost ready” for a long time.

When the idea of starting my academy first came to me, I carried it quietly for years. I kept telling myself I needed more time, more money, more experience, a bigger network, that I had to somehow feel completely prepared before I made the move. The vision was there, the passion was there, but the belief that I had to know every step before starting was holding me back.

When I finally took the leap, I quickly learned that no one actually feels fully ready. And honestly, most of the clarity only came after I was already in motion. I had to unlearn the idea that certainty comes first. It doesn’t. Trust comes first. Action comes first. Certainty is something you build while you’re walking the path.

And building this business was a real-time lesson in that.

There were so many moments where the next step wasn’t clear, where funding was delayed, where approvals were slow, where something went wrong, where I didn’t know if I could solve the problem in front of me. And the old version of me would’ve interpreted that as a sign to stop or retreat. But I had to learn to stay grounded in trust instead of panic.

Now I understand that growth always requires a little bit of stretch, a little bit of discomfort, a little bit of moving before you feel “ready.” The confidence wasn’t something I waited to receive, it was something I earned by showing up every day, figuring things out as I went, and proving to myself that I could handle it.

So the lesson I unlearned was:
You don’t need to know the whole path, you just need to take the first step.

And the deeper truth underneath that:
You don’t have to be ready, you just have to be willing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://KaticaAesthetics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katicaaesthetics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576377967482
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/katica-advanced-aesthetics